'Avengers' unleash 'Ultron' footage at Comic-Con

By DERRIK J. LANG | July 26, 2014 | 10:05 PM EDT

This photo released by Marvel shows, Mark Ruffalo, left, as Bruce Banner/Hulk and Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man, in a scene from Marvel's "Avengers: Age of Ultron." The film releases in the U.S. on May 1, 2015. (AP Photo/Marvel, Jay Maidment)

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Several members of "The Avengers" descended on Comic-Con to debut the first footage from the upcoming superhero sequel.

Robert Downey Jr. , Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo and Jeremy Renner were on hand with other cast members from "The Avengers: Age of Ultron," including Samuel L. Jackson and Colbie Smolders.

The footage kicked off with the superhero team attempting to pick up Thor's mighty hammer before launching into a barrage of action-packed imagery, including Hulk battling a giant Iron Man robot and a close up of Captain America's split shield.

"If I lift it, do I get to rule?" Tony Stark asked while trying to lift Thor's hammer — both with and without an Iron Man gauntlet.

The cast were joined by newcomers Elizabeth Olsen, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Paul Bettany and James Spader, who personifies the villainous mechanical force Ultron in the sequel.

"I play an 8-foot robot in this movie," joked Spader. "I've always played humans up until this point."